Shy Peach
by Incredibleintruder
Summary: Princess Peach, tired of being always imprisoned and helpless, tries to flee from Bowser's castle, only to land upon a strange mask that might change her destiny forever...


Shy Peach

Endless routine leads to apathy and conformity.

She could remember distinctly having heard this lesson a few years ago. Never quite thinking about it due to some of the concepts never quite catching on amidst her deepest thoughts, Peach figured it was about time that she went on to recall such an important lecture. The irony of the situation not lost on her, she marched through the now familiar chamber that she found herself in, looking in disgust at what she could almost call her second home at this point.

She needed to stop being kidnapped so often by the same person. Bowser, or King Koopa to his subjects, had almost turned from dastardly villain in her life to a creepy relative. She saw him so often that there was no panic anymore when he assaulted her castle. He arrived, grabbed her with another dastardly, yet ingenious scheme and then carried her over to his own domain. Her life, at this point, could be resumed by racing, assuring that the economy was stable, a game of tennis, getting kidnapped, waiting for Mario to rescue her, playing board games, looking into long-terms prospects for a sustainable form of agriculture, getting kidnapped again, waiting for Mario once more, with a side of getting kidnapped another time to add some spice to her life. Walking restlessly in the room that Bowser had built explicitly for her, she was lost in her own train of thought, wondering where exactly things went wrong in her own life.

The fact that she had no real army, save for a few guards that couldn't do much against a much stronger opponent like the sovereign of the Koopa kingdom was a start. Relying on Mario and his brother, however apt they were, was another mistake on her part. She liked them tremendously, yet to always wait for them to react to such events could not be good for anything in term of long-term respects, for herself as well for her capacity to be self-sufficient. She had become stuck in her own routine, helplessness going on to render her incapable of initiative or even critical thoughts. So many lessons and so much schooling only for her to land in this place one more time. If she didn't knew better, she would even toss the theory that Bowser was doing this due to a self-imposed routine as well. He had a kingdom, an army, a people that respected him well enough as well as resources. It's not like he could actually have any problem finding a a wife and mother to his son. No, they were both stuck in the role they had assigned themselves, with Bowser the invading tyrant and her the victim. Something had to be done and fast, if only to convince herself that she could become something more than just a pampered damsel to her people and to Toadsworth, her faithful aide.

Undecided about which course of action to take, she went closer to the door, if only to listen to the guards stationed near her chamber talk about whatever they felt like talking about. She had learned to listen quite well during the numerous times she had been there, sometimes even using different methods to communicate the information she gathered to Mario, if only to prove that she could actually help once in a while. With her ear set on the large wooden door, she could recognize the voice of a goomba and a koopa troopa that had been set as personal guards, making sure she'd never get away unless Bowser wished her to. With a keen ear and a willingness to simply intrude upon whatever conversation they felt like having, Peach kept her tongue, holding her breath for vital information.

''This is sooooooo boring...''

''Sure, but it beats being on patrol and being set in Mario's way.''

''I'd prefer a little action myself.''

''Not me. I'm a troopa and I've been assigned a green shell. Do you know what that means?''

''No.''

''It means that, if I'm set on a platform, I must always go forward, never looking back. If there's a hole in front of me, then I'm expected to go in it and hope I don't break myself in two.''

''That's really stupid.''

''Tell me about it...The red shells don't have that problem. Heck, most of the other troops don't have that kind of problem. I think it's a disciplinary measure or something, as if those with green shells are really hated by the top brass.

''It sure would explain why they've given you this boring job.''

''Maybe. It's just strange is all.

''Not as bizarre as those shy guys that got affected in the castle.''

''Don't talk to me about these guys. They always talk in 'kweh', never reveal their faces and are just weird. Who knows what they hide behind their mask?''

''I don't want to know. Even with the new female ones that Bowser's hired recently. They look cute, but their masks just make things strange for me.''

''Yeah, as if they might be a goomba or a troopa, but now they're not due to the robe and the mask. Nobody really likes them, they just stay clear away from them.''

''Yeah, they're with us, but I just don't want to be near those guys and gals.''

''Me too buddy. Me too.''

Rolling her eyes at this splendid example of schooling and tolerance, Peach nonetheless began to seriously think about the near-pointless banter she just heard. It was indeed strange that those ''shy guys'' as they referred them, actually had a presence in the Mushroom Kingdom as well as other places. From what she had heard, Mario had seen them first in a dream involving vegetables, a world called Sub-Con, a frog named Wart and other such nonsense. However, they had soon appeared in their own world, exactly like Mario had described them. Their mysterious behaviour as well as their tendency to go against the Mushroom Kingdom was strange, yet what was far more bizarre was the fact that they now had female versions too. Being the first time that she had heard about this, Peach had a sudden realization as a plan formed in her head, one that could actually make it so she'd escape on her own this time.

Already sick of being in this room, she opened up the door, already aware that Bowser didn't even bother to lock her up nowadays, convinced of her cooperation in this unending scheme of things. Surprising both the goomba and the troopa greatly, she looked at both with a rather embarrassed expression on her face. ''I beg your pardon, but I fear that there might be a problem with my bathroom, could you check in for a few seconds?'' she asked, looking at them with an awkward smile.

With both guards stupefied by this development and by the fact that she went on to see and talk to them for once, the troopa went on to enter the room. ''Stay there, Jim. I'll look into it. You just keep on guarding the door.''

''Why can't I go on and do that instead of you?''

''Because I actually have hands, Jim.''

The goomba lightly insulted by this remark went on to pout as he stayed put, already messing up her plan of escape slightly as Peach looked at the troopa, acting all innocently while he entered her bathroom. The look on the troopa's face when he saw her installations indicated his jealousy, his own quarters most assuredly not as nice as hers. Getting to the toilet, he looked at the pristine and well-cleaned utility as he looked back at the princess, dumbstruck as to just what kind of problem there might be.

Peach, however, was ready to strike as she jumped as high as she could, emulating Mario as she remembered some of his own lessons. Thankful that those had stuck in her head, she then landed on the troopa's shell, ejecting him from it as he went on to slide toward the wall. Colliding with it rather violently, he was out cold as the impact caused a loud sound to resonate within the walls of her chamber, prompting the goomba to precipitate himself inside the room.

''Is there something wrong, Joe?'' he asked in a rush, getting to the bathroom's door a little too late. Receiving the shell of his fellow guard right in his face, he was knocked out as the expertly sent hard protection sent him flying.

With both guards now out of commission, Peach stopped the projectile from bouncing around as she smirked, pleased that she could actually put some of the lessons taught to her to good use. Keeping the shell with her in order to have some kind of defense, she got out of the room, looking around to see if there might be some other threats to her course of action. With a general know-how about the castle's infrastructure, mostly due to the fact that she had been kidnapped so often, she headed toward the armory instead of the exit. If Bowser or any of his troops were smart, which was a big ''if'' in her own book, then there would be some guards stationed over there. Opting for prudence instead of recklessness, another lesson thought to her by Toadsworth , she would need to take some necessary precautions if she was to return to her own castle safely.

Going from one corridor to the next, she did so stealthily as she heard everyone coming, too caught up in their own conversations to do their job properly. Thankful that they felt safe enough within their own base, just so that they were careless unless Mario was there, she finally arrived near the armory. With a room for nearly every single type of troops in Bowser's army, she could almost identify each and every single one of them. Koopa troopas, goombas, bob-ombs, lakitu's, spiny's, para-troopa's, magikoopa's, each of them were aptly identified with a symbol and names. Rather awed by the efficiency of this classification and by the fact that there were so many rooms, Peach could then hear some voices approaching her own position. Caught in a slight panic, she began to sprint quickly to find the shy-guy's room, the very place where she could execute her plan. Finding it, she went on to open the door, slamming it behind her as she could hear the voices being very close now. Losing the shell she carried in the process, she gasped about this serious mistake of hers.

''Man, talk about rude. For someone called 'shy', that one didn't seem to mind busting that door, eh?''

''Hey, look at that shell. Doesn't it belong to Joe?''

''Yeah it does. What is it doing here?''

''I dunno. Isn't he supposed to be guarding the princess' room?''

''Yeah. If I hear that he abandoned his post and that he's wandering around the castle nearly naked, I'm going to post him in an icy region, on a little platform. That'll teach him...''

Sighing in relief about how nonchalant they seemed to be about their own allies, Peach quickly hid in a corner, beside some boxes as she began to inspect her surroundings. With the voices going away and the sound crawling to a near-silence, she could almost hear her slightly panicked breathing. Anxious about whether she was alone or not, she waited for a few minutes to regain her breath and to reassure herself. She had been lucky so far, yet the worst had been done. If her plan worked correctly, she'd be out of this sordid place in a matter of hours at most. Listening carefully, the fact that no voices or footsteps could be heard within the vicinity told her everything she needed to know as she went on to explore the rather large room, to look for the most important items for the success of her eventual escape.

At first glance, the shy guys were indeed strange, especially when looking at their weaponry. Lances, skirts made of leaves, tribal paint, poles, stilts, little propeller hats and so forth could be found amidst a plethora of unusual arms. The sight being nearly grotesque, she nonetheless soldiered on as she eventually found what she was looking for inside a big open box: a mask. Observing the object in question, it was something completely benign in its fabrication. A plastic mask with a string to make sure it stayed in place. White, with three holes, two for the eyes and one for the mouth. Seeing it without their wielder didn't make it less weird, yet Peach knew that she'd have to be a little courageous in order to make it out of here. If no one actually cared to interact with the shy guys and gals, then they wouldn't pay attention to a new one going to the front, right? She'd only need a mask, some concealing clothes and she'd be away from there in no time. Sighing, she went on to put the mask on, ready to get this over with.

With the string behind her head now, something seemed to snap inside her own head, something invasive as Peach could not really understand what had happened. Trying to remove the mask, the thing had seemingly glued itself to her own face, prompting her to begin to panic a little as she tried, to no avail, to use her whole strength to remove this devilish contraption. About to run around and to use a few of the weapons to pry it away from her, Peach went on to execute herself until...

 _Kweh._

A little voice echoed within her head. She could not understand what it said or why this actually happened, yet she recognized the usual tone of a shy guy inside her mind. Making her calm a little, she began to take deep, heavy breaths, trying to regulate her actions. It felt normal to do so, logical even as she leaned against a nearby wall.

 _Kweh kweh kweh._

Beginning to calm down, she stood with her back on the wall, regaining control a little as she began to feel the mask on her face. It felt smooth, almost natural to her touch at this point as the fabric had seemingly shifted. It had never been this pleasant when she had picked one up, yet now it was comfortable to her for some reason.

 _Kweh~_

Perhaps this was just a transition and she'd get accustomed to it? With this thought ringing within her head, she found herself balanced between fear to conforming to this new visage and relief at this new understanding of this situation. Everything would be okay. Somehow, she knew that to be true.

 _Kweh kweh~_

Yes. She needed to calm down and relax. The mask wasn't the problem. It was her attitude. Taking one final deep breath, she then stood away from the wall, regulating her breathing as she went on to touch the mask once more. This was not a mask anymore: this was her face and it was time to accept it.

 _Kweh._

Feeling her clothes shift around her form, Peach was not alarmed in the slightest. Nothing scary was happening. It was just a little shift, a slight change that she'd rapidly get used to. Her frilly dress, of pink, white and various gems, was getting much simpler now as it went on to get much comfier and roomier. There was no need for extravagance. She had planned to discard the dress anyway, so for it to change into something else was just great.

 _Kweh kweh kweh. Kweh~_

Small boots went on to replace her slippers, the bottom of her dress receding to show her long, slender legs. Unashamed by this show of skin, she instead smiled interiorly, her beautiful and unmoving face now unable to properly convey her emotions. Her dress now converted into a new kind of clothing, her sleeves were now longer, hiding her hands and arms. Her long hair, now covered with a tight hood, was nowhere to be seen anymore as the pink garments she wore concealed it. Gone were her gloves, her rings, her trinkets and jewelry. It was time for modesty, yet in an elegant way as the rest of her clothes conformed to her generous forms, leaving her beautiful in her own way.

 _Kweh kweh._

But that beauty was a curse. It made her easy to remark, nice to look at. She did not want so much attention. She wanted to be quiet, to be left unseen and to be left alone. This conundrum troubling her, she nonetheless felt like she had no choice in the matter. She had chosen to wear this disguise and she needed to go forth with this, no matter what. At least the nice voice was comforting her.

 _Kweh~_

She needed to get out of there...yet she couldn't. What if they judged her, darted her with their damning eyes? What if her plan failed and they'd see her as a failure? Doubt falling down on her harshly, she was left uncertain and unsure of herself now. Failure was perhaps on the way, and she needed to prepare herself for that.

 _Kweh kweh, kweh kweh kweh._

She tried to recall something, yet she couldn't say what exactly. She had something to do, a plan of some sort. Trying her best to remember, she drew a blank as she shivered, her own disappointment already tailing her like an immense and terrible shadow. At this point, she couldn't even remember her name as she trembled, her arms crossed near her chest.

''Kweh?''

Looking up, a shy guy was at the entrance of this room. Unable to understand where she was located, who she was and what she was doing there, she merely shook on her own, left in a stupor of crippling doubt.

''Kweh.''

Offering a helping hand, the shy guy looked at her through his own face. A friend in this terrible time, she accepted his offer gladly as her long sleeve was tended to him. Trembling just a little less, she'd eventually learn about a great many things as she looked at him, listening. Nodding and hearing him out, she then went on to speak for what she assumed was the very first time. ''Kweh...''

Listening to his soothing voice and to his helpful lessons, she eventually began to dissipate some of her fears away. Where she was, who she was working for amongst other things as she had even her very first job helping him search for a missing princess in the very castle she was in. Eager to help, she followed him, still holding his hand firmly.

Unbeknownst to her and to everyone within the castle, they'd never find the ever elusive Princess Peach, who had apparently finally succeeded in escaping on her own...


End file.
